This Application in general relates to improvements in feminine hygiene pads that provide better absorbency and leak protection and, further, are more comfortable.
The field of feminine hygiene is one in which there have traditionally been trade-offs. On the one hand, it has generally been accepted that the best leak protection is provided by internal devices, such as tampons. However, for many reasons, some users elect to not wear an internal device. This has been more pronounced with the recent realization that toxic shock syndrome can sometimes be related to the use of a tampon product.
For those reasons, many users have desired to wear outer products such as pads. Pads, however, have never successfully provided complete absorbency, or prevention from leakage. One major problem with pads has been that they have been unduly large since they have been positioned adjacent the wearer's clothing, rather than being positioned on the wearer. For that reason, pads have been made of undue width, such that it can be assured they will be properly positioned. Further, the pads have generally not extended rearwardly into the buttocks area. This has resulted in a problem wherein some leakage has escaped between the wearer and the pad and reached the wearer's buttocks area, causing irritation and discomfort.
In general, pads have suffered from a belief by wearers that they are too large, while at the same time, they have not provided sufficient leak protection or absorbency, since it is difficult to properly position them. For those reasons, known feminine hygiene pads have not successfully addressed the problem of providing complete hygienic control to a wearer.
At least one prior art reference has proposed a portion extending slightly rearwardly from a main absorbent portion of the pad to address leakage flow rearwardly into the buttocks of a wearer. This portion has not been combined with other structure to properly position the pad relative to the wearer. Further, this proposed portion would not have extended for sufficient length that it would have been received within the buttocks of a wearer, and thus it would not have provided sufficient leak prevention. Moreover, the portion as described was of such great width that it would not have properly fit between the buttocks of a wearer. It could not have been worn comfortably, nor could it have properly provided its anti-leak function.